Botta tried to artificial means or change the situation in a certain balance in order to seek a new balance.

Philosophy:

Therefore, with the square and circle formation of the pure geometric forms is the basic elements of his architecture.

He show respect for topographical conditions and regional sensibilities and his designs generally emphasize craftsmanship and geometric order. Because he attempts to reconcile traditional architectural symbolism with the aesthetic rules of the Modern Movement

The concept of the value of feeling good and taking care of yourself and of others has remained unchanged since the days of ancient philosophy. Today it is backed up by new technologies that offer us a range of different services: from the sauna to different types of massaging tubs. The aim of all this is to create a setting of great emotional content focusing on the common theme of water. .

Nestled in a basin at the foot of the Weisshorn mountain in the Swiss Alps is the Berg Oase wellness centre – a health spa linked to the five-star luxury Tschuggen Grand Hotel in the resort village of Arosa.

Design concept:

We imagined to build without building, to assert the presence of the new through the emergent parts and to leave interred the great volume with the functional program. The cover of the hypogeal spaces becomes a stage marked by geometric vegetal presences that rouse the visitor curiosity. This particular context therefore suggested us an intriguing solution, of visual impact and, above all, of great respect for the surrounding village. The great volume disappears into the earth; only the vegetal and, at the same time, mechanical “antennas” emerge, marking the recreational and collective character of the structure.

The inner space appears as a terraced continuum with the slope to limit the excavation works

The different areas of Berg Oase are characterized by their interrelation and by their privileged relationship with the environment through technological trees that guarantee natural light and an extraordinary sight towards the landscape as well as becoming signals of the internal life at night through the artificial lighting that gives to the whole resort a magic atmosphere. The external spaces (sauna, solarium, swimming pool) are reachabledirectly from the swimming pools and set on an attractive terracing, dipped into nature.

The external spaces (sauna, solarium, swimming pool) are reachable directly from the swimming pools and set on a attractive terracing, dipped into nature. The new structure is accessible through a glass walkway from the existing hotel as well as (for the external visitors) from the entrance level to the hotel. The new building, beyond the “unbuilt space” of the “leaves”, resolves the relationship with the existing hotel and the ground through a great wall in natural stone. The external public space is therefore redesigned in order to create a cosy atmosphere and to solve the car parks problem thus discreetly integrated in the plan.

Interiors:

THE INTERIOR SPACE IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR FLOORS

The ground floor houses most of the fitness facilities, part of the technical area and the wardrobe for external users who have direct access to this floor.

On the second floor are located the connection glass bridge between the Tschuggen Hotel and the wellness centre, the reception, the staff spaces, the wardrobes for the users, the toilettes, and the “sauna world” with relax area.

The third floor houses the “water world” with swimming pool to swim and relax, the toilettes, the relax area, depots.

MATERIALS”

The building is made of a combination of Canadian Maple and duke white granite, used to clad the interior walls, floors (including the bridge floor), showers and pool, and also for the stairway.

Marble and granite treated stone to protect it from water and chlorine.

Care was taken to use natural minerals rather than synthetic chemicals for this process as the granite was to be used in a health and wellness environment. The stone also helps to create an atmosphere that combines the sanctity of a temple and that of a mountain cave.

Canadian maple triangular skylights provide the optimum level of acoustics which mute interior noise and encourage quiet and a feeling of calm.

Botta’s architectural language:

Classical symmetrical layout,

Simple geometric shape,

Closed and thick walls,

skylight.

Conclusion:

As an architect of Post Modern Classicism ,he has give a lot to learn and the way he puts his philosophies into design giving it a very modern , different and contemporary look . He shows the method to use vernacular means to give a contemporary look.

Like this:

So once again the stage is Luzern in Switzerland. The lady at the tourist information center in Luzern it seemed was an architectural enthusiast and knew a great deal about famous architects. It was she who told me about the existence of a building designed by the famous Herzog and de Meuron in Luzern.Yeah the very same architects behind Alliance arena and Bird’s nest stadium,Beijing.

So ignoring the time constraints i decided to have a look at the building.

It was tough getting info on this building. Seems like its not well documented yet.Below is a few info I have managed.

The extension to the Hotel Astoria is the first hotel project for Herzog & de Meuron: It is a striking sculpture with deep indentations and two faces.

This extension to the existing hotel hosts 12 light-flooded conference rooms with state of the art infrastructure, as well as 90 new and spacious hotel rooms which are especially desingned for global nomads.

So here is a slideshow of the snaps I have taken plus plans of the extension. Click here for the Plans.[astoria_grundrisse]

Like this:

It was a quite chilly afternoon in the city of Luzern or Lucerne in Switzerland. I was on my first boat cruise on the Luzern lake enjoying the spell binding beauty of the scenic nation when this building caught my attention. Well I was heading to the city with no knowledge of the great names it had in store. The flat extruding roof structure and the extruding façade convinced this to be the work of a fine architect. And when the woman at the information desk told me that this museum was designed by Jean Nouvel I wasn’t that surprised.

So here is a slideshow and then a description on the building :

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Concept:

Originally French architect Jean Nouvel planned to build the new concert hall in the shape of a ship going directly into the lake. For town planning and ecological reasons this idea could not be realised. Nouvel reworked the project and decided to channel the water into the building instead. “Inclusion” is the term he uses to describe his idea of bringing the outside in and taking the inside out. Jean Nouvel’s interpretation of this concept was to use water channels that lead directly into the building and a roof that projects over the lake.

Reflection:

The height of the widely projecting roof diminishes to only a few centimetres the closer it gets to the roof edge. Visible only as a thin edge the line of the roof appears to dissolve the mighty thrust of the steel structure. The flat aluminium panels of the underside strengthen this impression of lightness: they reflect the waves of the lake, which in turn reflects the roof of the KKL Luzern. This interplay with the idea of reflection is a conscious move by Nouvel. The materials used for the structure change the view and impression of the building depending on the incidence of the light and the viewing angle. The water in the channels and basins underline the expression of reflection.

Building elements:

The two water channels separate the part of the building with the Concert Hall from the Lucerne Hall and the Foyer, which is in turn separated from the conferenceand museum section.
These three elements of the building are lined up side by side like ships in a dock, each with their own formal identity. They are united by the wide expanse of the projecting roof, which covers a large part of the Europaplatz below. The backbone of the entire structure is a service wing, which accesses each unit of the building.

The transparency of the building is in stark contrast to the Concert Hall, characterised by opaqueness. Jean Nouvel decided to use unusual colours for the Concert Hall section: garnet, dark green and midnight blue. In its impact this part of the building is reminiscent of the large theatres and opera houses of Europe. The Concert Hall itself is lined with wooden panels in a lustrous reddish tone. The curved shape of the outer wall bulges into the angular foyer, like the case of a string instrument. The low-level windows provide postcard-size views of the outside, focusing the eye on the splendours of the town and the surroundings of Lucerne. The corridors leading into the Concert Hall section have been kept intentionally low to magnify the impressive impact of the Concert Hall’s dimensions on entering.

The Lucerne Hall is multifunctional and sober in appearance. A cube of space offset to the rear of the hall provides space for a spacious foyer orientated towards the lake while the Hall itself has its own distinctive charisma as a black box with blue wooden flooring.

The conference and museum section facing the railway station is encased in a visual effect of expanding and contracting latticework that interprets the façade as a transparent screen, like a variation on the architectural theme of the “brise-soleil”.